My plot - the good half approx 2 summers ago |
I don't have a back garden big enough to house all 12 chickens once grown (assuming all of them hatch), but I do have my allotment and I have spent an hour or so the last two days, clearing the over grown land and starting to build an enclosure.
One sheet of glass |
What I had to work with! |
The good thing is that I have a plan and the area is clear, but it will take some managing through the year. I have Japanese knotweed in this corner of the plot. A very difficult plant to kill.
I have encountered it several times, most of the time as a surveyor managing commercial property.
Japanese Knotweed - from Wiki |
One thing is clear, it is very costly to remove, and from a development site point of view quite often the only sure way of removing it from site is to dig it out dispose of all soil and refill. Very expensive but a lot quicker than injecting it for 3-5 years to kill it off.
Now I am not in the position on my plot to dig out or inject the plant. But I have discovered a week killer by roundup, called tree stump killer. It does in fact work on Japanese knotweed and brambles. I will need to be very careful spraying close to the chickens.
My chicken enclosure - wont win any style awards |
The pen is currently 12 x 12 foot. I will be covering the top with a heavy duty plastic mesh. It has big holes and again was left behind by the former tenant of the plot.
I have a hen house and run (cheap version) in my garage at he moment, so will be moving his down to the plot, but will also be splitting the area in to two breeding pens eventually.
Having such a variety in the incubator at the moment means the chickens may have to live together for a while until I establish if they are good enough breeding stock and find cockerels or hens to go with what I have hatched. I'm starting to think it would have been easier to have bought 2 trios, but hey, where is the fun in that! :-)
To protect against Mr Fox around the perimeter I am digging the fencing into the ground by about 6 inches and then using chicken wire to create a further barrier underground. On top of the chicken wire will go the soil and then some slabs I have that will hopefully prevent any digging.
You can just see the wood in the right of the photo! |
I am still working on the door into the pen. I'm considering using some old pallets I have on the site or an old wooden front door that, yes you guessed it, the previous tenant was trying to use as a door to his shed. (the shed did not have a roof, but he had a lovely solid house door for it!)
In fact that is a very good point, I do need a dry secure place for the feed and bedding. As the roof on my shed has blown off twice in the last month, I can not rely on it, so will need a solution, perhaps a plastic container in the pen!
It's difficult planning these things, hard work implementing them, but ultimately the end product, being able to keep pure breed rare poultry will make it worth while!
Thanks for reading.
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